Joint for lighting systems



SePt- 10, 1929- P. M. HoTcHKlN 1,727,772

JOINT FOR LIGHTING SYSTEMS Filed May 5, 1925 MNHN@ Patented Sept. 10,1929.

FA'UL M. HOTCHKIN, O F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

.Tom-r ron LIGHTING srsrnias Application led May 3, 1926. Serial No.166,579.

My invention relates to lighting systems wherein conduits are employedfor enclosing and supporting the conductor wires, which conduits havemounted thereon one or more sockets or carriers for the reception ofilluminating electric bulbs. More specically, my invention relates to aswivel joint to be employed for connecting adja-I cent ends of sectionsof conduit so that the 1Q sections, when it is desired, may be disposedat an angle to each other.

Where an installation of a lighting system of the foregoing variety isrequired and the illumination is to occupy a space where there arecorners in the plan, bends or breaks are required in the conduit, and ithas been the usual practice to form the same by bending the conduit orby the use of couplings lof 90, 60 and 45, or other usual angles. Thisnecessitates the contractor or supply house carryin in stock aconsiderable quantity of coupllngs of different sizes and of differentshapes in order to take care of installations that may require thedivers angles. Heretofore there has also been provided an adjustableconnection between adjacent ends of the conduit sections, but this hasbeen found to be objectionable because of the difliculty in insertingthe conductor wireithrough the respective members of the coupling andthe same is heavy and cumbersome.

My present invention has for its object the provision of an angular orswivel coupling that may be used for connecting adjacent ends of theconduits and which may be adjusted to any degree of angularity from 1 tomore than 90, so that a single coupling may be used for any desiredcorner bend that may be required in a particular installation. With mypresent device the inherent objections to the prior structures aresuccessfully overcome and the conductor wires may be readily placed inthe usual conduit and the corner of my angular connector without havinto thread or insert the wires longitudin ly therein through a restrictedspace as has heretofore been the practice. Further objects of myinvention reside in providing a connector structially the mannerhereinafter full)7 described and as `more particularly pointed out intheclauns, reference being made to the accompanymg drawings that form apart of this specification.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a top plan of my invention showing the samein conjunction with adjacent ends of two .sections of conduit, parts ofthe structure 'being broken away for clearness.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3. is a transverse section on line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

The drawings are in a sense schematic for the purpose of illustratingapreferred o r typical form of carryingfout my invention and in the saiddrawin I have designated the same parts by similar reference characterswherever they appear in the several views. v v f The conduit which itmay be desired to )om for angular disposition by means of my presentstructure forms the `subject:- `matter of vmy co-pending application forLetters Patent that is filed even date here-I with, and the sameconsists of or support 5 for receivin wires that is preferably ormedfrom a sheet-metal stampin of substantially -U- shape in `sect-ion an isclon ated and has a bottom wall 6, parallel si e-walls 7 and an openportion opposite the bottom wall. The edges of the slde-walls farthestfrom the bottom wall are provided with ina mounting the conductor wardlyextending S-'sha d or -Zshaped guides to receive a suitab e closureelement 8. The S-shaped or Z-shaped guides just mentioned are formed byproviding lateral flanges 9 that project towards eachY other from theedges of the side-walls and are substantially parallel with the plane ofthe bottom wall 6 of the housing At the inner edges o these lateralflanges the sheet` ioo metal is bent downwardly and obliquely as `at 10towards the side walls 7 and it is'then bent horizontally as at 11 sothat oppositely disposed longitudinal channels or grooves 12 areprovided in which the enclosure element, preferably a plate 8, isremovably mounted. These housing members, together with the closureplates, are formed in suitable lengths for convenientJ storage andinstallation, and

are adapted to have the conductor wires 13 placed therein and connectedto socket elements mounted u on and carried by the housing at suita leintervals along the length of the latter.

Vhen structures of this character are installed, it is frequently foundthat straight lengths of the housing may be used, but when a corner isdesired it is usually the practice to interpose an elbow or the like. Inlieu of this elbow I have provided an adjustable swivel joint orconnector so that the connected lengths of housing uponl each side ofthe joint or connector may be disposed at any desirable angle withrespect to each other. This connector, as shown in the drawings,comprises two oppositely arranged sections A and B pivotallyl connectedby a pin or bolt 14, one of whlch sections 1s of smaller `dimensionsthan the other section so as to be' telescoped thereby. The part A ofthe connector consists of a base plate 15, one edge of which is providedwith an'upstanding wall 16 that is straight and forms a continuation ofthe wall 7 of the adjacent housing sectionl The opposite ed e of thebase 15 has a straight portion provlded wlth a vertical wall 17 that isparallel with the wall 16 but is of shorter len h and the said walls 16and 17 are of lesseight than the walls 7 of the adjacent housing sectionso that this end portion of the coupling section v A may be insertedinto the adjacent end of the housing section and secured therein bymeans' of the screw 18. From the edge of the wall 17 the baselate iscurved outwardly in an. arc struc from the lcenter of the pivotal pin 14so as to-provide a se mental portion 19 from which there exten supwardly the arcuate or segmental wall 20, which is of the same height`as the walls 16 and 17. The cover plate 21 which is shaped to conformwith the'contour of the base plate 15 is placed upon the upper edges ofthe walls 16, 17 and 2O and is also inserted intofthe housing sectionwhen the coupling member A is placed therein and said cover late issecured in position upon the itop o the coupling member by means of anut 22 screwed onto the upper extended end of the bolt or pivotal pin14.

Thel other or co-acting section B of the coupling is of substantiallythe same shape as the coupling member,A except that it is `formedreversely and the dimensions are such as to permitthe'segmental shellthereof to be inserted into and co-o rate with the segmental shell ofthe cou g section A, as seen in Figure 1 of the awmgs. It will be seenfrom Figure 1, that the coverlate of the coupling section B is disposedlow the coverlate 21 of the other coupling member an the end portions ofthe respective se ental shells are formed oblique- 1y so that yloosening the nut 22 the parts may be moved to any desired degree ofangularity with respect to each other. The broken line in Figure 1 showsthe coupling members disposed at right angles or 90 to each other andthe structures illustrated in full lines show the same as being arrangedslightly oblique to each other. Prior to placing the cover plates inposition u on the respective coupling members, the con uctorwires 13 arelaid in the bottom of the housing and through the coupling, as seen inthe drawing, after which the cover plates are laced in their properposition upon the con uit sections and the coupling sections and theparts secured to ether.

It is possible that modifications or chan may be made to-the structureherein S- that the same are fully contemplated within the scope of theappended clanns.

What I claim is 1 A 1. An adjustable joint for conduits and the likecomprising a pair of channel mem- 'bers the ends of two adjacent wallsof said members pivotally connected to ther for relative hingingmovement of sai members with respect to each other, a removable coverplate for each member disposed' in normalfv overlapped relation, theremaining' walls o said members extended beyond the pivoted walls andarranged in telescopic relation to eachother, and common means forpivotally connecting said members and for maintaining said cover-platesin position.

2. An adjustable joint for conduits and `the like "comprising a pair ofopen boxlike housings pivotally connected together adjacent an edge ofeach and the portions of the housings opposite the pivot being of semental shape, the walls of the housin aside from the pivoted Walls beingexten ed beyond the transverse plane of the pivot and arranged intelescopic relation with respect to each other, removable covers forsaid housings and common pivotal means for said housings that alsomaintain the covers in position.

.lAn adjustable joint for conduits and the like comprisin a pair ofchannel members, means pivotal y connecting the ends of two adjacentwalls of saidmembers together for relative hinging movement, the Wallsof said members opposite the pivot being concavo-convex on a curvestruck from the center of the pivot and the bottom walls havingsegmental edges opposite the pivot, and sepsaid members for relativemovement andy maintaining said cover-plates in position.

5. A device of the kind described comprising a pair of channel membershaving hinging movement relative to each other and telescopicallyarranged, separate cover plates for said members having overlappedadjacent edges, and a bolt passing transversely through overlappedportions of said members and corresponding portions of the covery plateswhereby to connect said members and cover-plates for relative movementand to maintain said cover-plates in position.

Signed at Chicago, in the county'of Cook,

and State of Illinois this 19th day of April,

PAUL M. HOTCHKIN.

